Quick Advice Needed...at half 6am!!

[Mirrie]

My dog caught a young phesant this morning and brought it upstairs to her bed happy eating its leg...poor little thing was still alive so I took it off the dog..took it outisde and knew what I had to do. Now taking in mind I have been a veggie since I was 8 (but now do try some local meat)and have never killed a living thing (Bar some flying ants!) All i knew is that I had to twist and pull...so I did and heard a crrack but the birds heart was still going and so in a panic I did it again and the poor little thing was going nuts then still...I of course cried and feel quite wierd that I've kinda "took" a life...but what should I do now? My veggie side is telling me to put it in a box and bury it but my thifty side is thinking should I let the dog have it? Should I prepare it for tea (with one leg missing??) I dont want it to go to waste...gosh and I here I was planning to keep geese for xmas

[Mirrie]

Hi all, so after 45mins of I decided I didnt want lil thing to go to waste so I moved her to end of garden and "released the dogs". They sniffed her a couple of times and walked off....

So I want to ask...did I kill it properly? Can we eat stuff thats been killed by dogs? Do I feel like a drama queen?

ta x

[Clara]

Well I think you were very brave and made the right decision. I personally wouldn´t eat it now its been so mucked about with, but I guess some might and would probably come to no harm.

I would pluck it (dunk in boiling water to loosen the feathers) and then cook it for the dogs, I suspect they´ll probably eat it like that.

[Mirrie]

Thanks Clara,

I'm gald my dogs didnt touch it now as my greyhounds sicked up aload of feathers...

I do wanna cook it for the dogs but dont know if I'm brave enough to pluck it...could I take the head off first or should it be hung first? Its its face thats scary! :tongue2:

[Sky]

I would maybe just bury it mirrie, poor thing sounds like it's been through enough.
I have to kill chucks quite regularly in my work and I just hold them by their heads and give them a quick spin until I feel their neck break.
They do jump about quite a bit but it's just muscles and nerves so sometimes I just put my foot lightly on them to keep them still till they stop.

[Clara]

For the dogs I just cut the head off, stick upside down on a bucket so the blood drains as much as poss, then pluck

[MKG]

It was dead the moment you broke its neck. As Sky says, the rest of the jumping around is just nerve activity. If it were me, I'd cook it for the dogs - and it doesn't have to be hung at all.

[Mirrie]

Ta, for all your advice guys..I know if I leave it the rats will get it and it seems unrespectful... a couple of years ago I'd have given it a funeral (!) but it seems more respectful to the animal if it gives something back to nature...guess I'd be a hypocrite to waste it...but I'm scared!!!

Sky the whole ordeal was over in just a few minutes and I did try to make it as calm as I could...

Right I'm gonna do it...I've always said "if you cant deal with the truth about where your food comes from, you shouldnt have the right to eat it" Hence why I've been a veggie for so long...but I buy meat for the dogs/husband/kids ...

Wish me luck... its my first time

[Millymollymandy]

If you don't want to cook it up (and gut it and all that) you could bury it next to your rhubarb patch (if you've got one) or anything else really (apart from in the veg patch). It will fertiliser your plants.

I've got a hen fertilising my rhubarb and my cat who was called Daisy has a load of Ox-Eye Daisies planted on top of her.

[Thomzo]

Hi Mirrie
You did the right thing. I saw a rabbit writhing in the road yesterday and didn't have the guts to finish it off. Fortunately, the 4WD behind me did the job but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

I wouldn't bother burying it if you have foxes or rats. I buried a chook that had died of unknown causes and the fox dug it up and dumped it in next door's flower pot! They weren't too happy.

Good luck with the plucking.

Zoe

[Mirrie]

Milly, that reminds me of my mum n dads house, each plant has got a story about a beloved pet feeding it...its sad and something I could never cope with- guess thats why I became a veggie so young..I'm determined this ikkle birdy is gonna have a purpose so...

The head is off (And burried with a flower on top ) Now comes my million and one Q's!

After plucking...do I throw the innards away? Will the dogs choke on the bones if I feed it to them whole?

Should I boil the whole lot till the meat falls of the bones?

I'm going to do this...thanks 4all ur advice and MKG I'm gald it died straight away...I think I need a drink- Doh why didnt that water work???

[Mirrie]

OK..after much debating here is what I did:

Took the head off and put her upside down in a bucket for couple of hours...physiced myself up to pluck...did half then realised the bit where dog had "got" her couldn't be done so followed this guys( blog will be added later) and skinned and took meat- then burried the rest (I know there was waste but it was my first time guys!) Then I put legs(and feet) and rest of meat in big pan and boiled...my dogs loved the legs (Ate everthing ) and now the meat is boiling away with some rice for their tea...

I am grossed out yet proud

[MKG]

Well done, Mirrie ... happy dogs, bird not wasted, medal on chest - what could be better?

[Annpan]

Well done Mirrie, you did the right thing... alls well that ends well

[hamster]

Well done!